Cooperation between the European Parliament’s “centre-right” bloc and far-right parties on migration legislation has been documented.

Germany’s news agency dpa revealed that the Parliament’s largest group, the European People’s Party (EPP), worked with far-right lawmakers more closely than previously known.

According to information obtained by dpa, EPP representatives recently used a WhatsApp chat group and held face-to-face meetings with far-right members of the European Parliament to prepare draft legislation aimed at tightening the EU’s migration policy.

The cooperation centres on a legislative proposal that would enable asylum seekers to be deported to “return hubs” located outside the European Union.

The proposal passed the relevant parliamentary committee with support from the EPP and right-wing parties, including Alternative for Germany (AfD), shortly after the secret negotiations concluded.

EPP chief Weber had denied cooperation with the far right

Manfred Weber, a member of the Christian Social Union and president of the EPP, had previously given the impression that there was no coordinated cooperation with the far right.

Late last year Weber said a “firewall” had been established to defend European values against those he described as enemies of the European Union.

When asked whether Weber was aware of the WhatsApp group and the meeting between EPP group members and far-right politicians, a spokesperson declined to comment, saying internal procedures would not be discussed.

German EPP lawmaker Lena Düpont, a member of the migration committee and affiliated with Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union, addressed the issue in comments to the newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Düpont said there was “no structural cooperation with AfD and other far-right forces” during the vote.

She described the outcome not as a coordinated effort but as a “coincidental alliance of conservative and far-right wings”.

The arrangement emerged in early March after months of deadlock within the informal pro-European coalition formed by the EPP, the Socialists and Democrats and the liberal Renew Europe group.

Sources told dpa that after the Socialists refused to support the “return hub” concept, EPP representatives presented the proposal through a WhatsApp group to three right-wing parliamentary groups.

These were the European Conservatives and Reformists, which includes lawmakers allied with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni; the Patriots for Europe, which includes French politicians from National Rally led by Marine Le Pen; and the Europe of Sovereign Nations, which includes AfD members.

How the agreement was reached

The chats indicate a high degree of alignment.

EPP staff incorporated specific amendments into the text, including measures proposed by the office of AfD lawmaker Mary Khan calling for asylum seekers to undergo medical age testing.

In one message, an EPP staff member responded directly to a far-right proposal by writing: “We can support this.”

Some politicians made clear from the outset that their backing would be conditional. Dutch lawmaker Marieke Ehlers said she had indicated she would join the process if she could actively contribute.

Shortly after the WhatsApp group was created, four lawmakers negotiating the proposal met face to face on March 4.

Those present included Khan, Ehlers, French EPP member François-Xavier Bellamy and Swedish Charlie Weimers of the ECR. They drafted a legislative proposal together before the committee vote.

Following the agreement, participants in the chat exchanged messages thanking each other for the “excellent cooperation” and shared applause emojis.

Migration proposal gathers momentum

The committee vote is widely seen as a turning point in the debate over whether EU countries should be able to establish “return hubs” outside the bloc.

In particular, the regulation would allow asylum seekers who have been ordered to leave the EU but cannot be directly deported to their home countries to be transferred to reception centres located outside the bloc.

The European Parliament’s plenary is expected to vote in the coming weeks, a step now widely regarded as largely procedural.

Alexander Dobrindt is among the strongest advocates of the concept, saying it would ease pressure on Europe’s asylum system.

According to the German government, Berlin and four other EU countries have already prepared a preliminary roadmap for establishing return centres.

Critics warn the plan could put the fundamental rights of refugees at risk.

‘Firewall’ debate in Germany

The disclosure of these contacts could trigger a new political storm in Germany.

Mainstream political parties in Berlin, including the conservative CDU/CSU bloc of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, have pledged to maintain a strict “firewall” against AfD, meaning zero cooperation on political matters.

At the start of 2025 a heated debate erupted after CDU/CSU lawmakers in the German parliament attempted to pass tougher migration measures that were adopted with the support of AfD lawmakers.

The Social Democratic Party of Germany called for clarification on Saturday after the contacts between the EPP group and the far right came to light.

The party’s general secretary Tim Klüssendorf said Weber needed to explain himself.

“If it is true that EPP members directly cooperated with the far right, including AfD, in joint chat groups and drafted legislative texts together, this would be a scandal.”

Other European Parliament members also reacted angrily. Erik Marquardt, head of the German Green delegation in the European Parliament, told dpa: “Involving far-right actors in democratic processes will be the beginning of the end for liberal democracies in Europe.”